Interview News

Trombonist Steve Turre Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2009

Few can match Steve Turré's skill as a trombonist. His technical mastery, which has seen him win five Down Beat polls, goes hand-in-hand with a deep respect for the music that has gone before him, and over the course of forty years he has honed his skills with some of the best. Since his formative experience as a teenager playing alongside the great saxophonist/flautist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Turré has gone on to play with many artists including Ray Charles, B.B. ...

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Interview: Phil Woods (Part 4)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 21, 2009

Moving back to the U.S. from Europe in 1973, Phil Woods found himself a stranger in his own country. The economy had soured, and jazz was being squeezed out at clubs and record stores by folk, rock and soul. Discouraged, Phil planned to return to Paris. But just as he was set to depart, a lucky break turned into a multirecord contract for RCA. Session dates followed, including solo spots on a series of highly influential pop-rock albums in need ...

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Interview: Phil Woods (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 20, 2009

Phil Woods is known worldwide as a jazz headliner and leader with a powerful attack on the alto saxophone. He plays with every ounce of energy, as though it's his very last day on the job. And for reasons that probably have more to do with nature than logic, when Phil plays, the urgency in his tone leaves me transfixed. It's so magnetic that I stop what I'm doing to listen and admire. [Photo of Phil Woods in 1962 by ...

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Interview: Phil Woods (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 19, 2009

Listen to virtually any Charlie Parker recording and it's immediately apparent why the alto saxophonist had such an enormous impact on jazz musicians coming of age in the early 1950s. But Parker's magnificent tone and improvisational skills were only half the story. As Phil Woods notes today, Parker's personality also had a profound impact on musicians, many of whom might have given up had it not been for his few words of encouragement. [Pictured: Phil Woods in 1955]

During the ...

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Reverend Zen's Jack Evans Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
February 19, 2009

New York group Reverend Zen has its debut album, Angels, Blues & the Crying Moon (Blackjack Music, 2006), and it as quickly garnered music industry acclaim around the world. Platitudes aside, Reverend Zen's true genius lies in its music. The album is everything a great album should be: melodies that hang in your head like an old friend, dead-on drum tracks, bad-ass guitar solos, and subtleties that slowly reveal themselves, supporting lyrics of wit, introspection and cultural commentary.

A decade ...

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Interview: Phil Woods (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 18, 2009

Phil Woods is blunt. And moody. And passionate. And fast with a comeback line. Like many jazz greats, the alto saxophonist speaks the way he plays. His articulation and his instrumental attack share much in common. Both are refreshingly direct and raw with emotion. Whether Phil is talking or playing, you feel transfixed, as though a powerful invisible hand has reached out to hold you fast. From his earliest professional playing jobs, Phil has projected this unmistakable yearning sound on ...

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Singer/Keyboardist a-Kube Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
February 18, 2009

"Un-kid-ified music." Now there is a concept. Un-kid-i-fide music is music that sounds like today's music, but with the kid's focus and vibe removed; music to which the 28 to 65 or older crowd can relate. When so much music is geared to a younger market, and much of it contains objectionable, or border-line objectionable lyrics, Asure Akhi Amen, AKA A-Kube has developed a sound that is geared to a more mature market, or a market that would appreciate a ...

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Interview with Tony Fagenson of Eve 6 (Part Two)

Source: HypeBot
February 17, 2009

Kyle Bylin, Associate Editor

Read Part One (Here)

Q: The song 'Here's To The Night' has found its place in graduations and proms alike, what's it like seeing a song of yours take on a different meaning?

Fagenson: We certainly didn't have any clue that it would become what it has, and that it would have such staying power. It's been terrific! It's probably the main reason why so many young people are still interested in this band. If people ...

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